Sunday, May 31, 2009

2 words: Hot and Hilly

I guess with my work schedule and new training schedule I don't have any down time for blogging, so I apologize for the infrequent posting and even more infrequent commenting! Whenever I have a chance I get caught up on your blogs but I don't comment often.. sorry! Here is the review of my entire week since I didn't get around to updating since last Sunday.



It's been a great week overall! The hot weather has continued here and it's great. It made for a few tough workouts but the sunshine and summer vibe makes every other aspect of life more enjoyable. :) We've been eating our dinners down at the park whenever possible and generally spending every possible moment outside. In other words, I'm tan.



Here's the stats for my week of workouts. Everything went as planned and I only have a couple photos to share so this should be pretty short.



Monday: ST
Gym with Zach

Tuesday: Run
4.25 miles/41:30/9:46 average pace
Marine Drive with Deana

Thursday: Swim
2300 yards/1:00
Masters
(The new ear plugs seem to be working! I wore them every swim this week and no ear problems to report. Yay!)


Wednesday: Bike
1 hour spin class with Emily


Wednesday: Run
1.85 miles/15:00/8:06 average pace
Brick run on the treadmill right after spin

Wednesday: Swim
2100 yards/1:00
Masters

Thursday: Bike
30.1 miles/2:09:21/13.9 MPH
Randomly long ride with Zach after work. He thought it would be more like 22 miles but obviously was way off. We took it pretty easy and had a very fun ride. I was a little tired toward the end because I wasn't properly fueled/prepared to ride so long!



Friday: Run
6.0 miles/47:18/7:53 average pace
Forest Park with Zach. It was HOT and I struggled.



Saturday: Bike
44.5 miles/3:18:30/13.4 MPH
Hilly and hot ride down through Milwaukee and across the river, then around Lake Oswego and back. You know it's a hilly ride when the hills on Terwilliger 3 hours into the ride seem like a breeze. I also got my FIRST FLAT TIRE on this ride! I was excited, haha. I changed it all on my own in about 15 minutes. I am glad to have the first one done without incident. For those who have never had a flat tire and wonder how you will know- well, for me there was a super loud hissing noise. The tire wasn't even low when I stopped but the air leaked out within a minute or so. I don't think this is how every flat sounds/feels but it was really obvious this time.



Sunday: Swim
800 yards/16:32
My first Open Water Swim of the year is in the books! We drove out to Hagg Lake early this morning and almost didn't make it in time. We donned our wetsuits and got in the water- it was about 66 degrees and pretty comfortable. I did a warm up swim then the race started. I stayed toward the back and tried to stay relaxed. I had some trouble with my nose clip and had to stop to adjust it, but otherwise felt good. I never got freaked out which was great. I was very happy with my time! That's about 2:04 per 100 yards which would be a pretty solid pace for me in the pool. Considering the time I lost to the nose clip issue, I'm happy. I wasn't even last!



Sunday: Run
10.5 miles/1:33:30/8:54 average pace
Right after the swim was done we changed into our running clothes and headed out to run around Hagg Lake. Zach went off on his own pace and I just ran slow and steady. It was really hot and hilly (again!) but I maintained my pace and enjoyed the scenery. I was running like 9:00-9:20 for most of the run but busted out a couple faster miles at the end (downhills) to bring my pace down. The longer distance swims were finishing up when we got back so we watched the swimmers come in and grabbed a plate of free and delicious bbq food. I jumped back in the water to rinse/cool off and it felt great.



totals for the week:

Swim: 2:15 (5200 yards: 2 masters and 1 OWS)

Bike: 6:30 (74.6 miles outside and 1 spin class)

Run: 3:15 (22.6 miles)


total: 12:00

(plus one gym strength training session and a couple pushup sessions)

That total is way above what my plan calls for but at this point I'm not stressing it. I feel like I'm handling the volume just fine and will adjust if necessary. As the plan gets more intense I'm going to follow it more closely for sure. I might check in on what the Advanced plan calls for (I'm roughly following the Intermediate one) and see if that is more my style. I'm sure I'll be humbled in the coming months but for now this is fun and not that hard.

In diet/weight loss news, I've lost 10 pounds! I am planning on trying to maintain this weight for the whole summer and through the Ironman. I will be eating more and if I happen to lose weight due to the training, that's great, but I don't think I need to lose more. I won't ever post them here, but I took some "before" and "after" photos in my bikini and it's SHOCKING. Really amazing. I'm right at that threshold where the 10 extra lbs made a huge difference. I look much leaner and healthier now, the way my body wants to be! My goal now is to not slip back into my unhealthy eating and drinking habits. The exercise part is obviously not the issue, it's all about the intake.


Before I wrap up here I have to give a big fat shout out to my best girl MARITZA who finished the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon today with amazing courage and determination. I won't spoil the results- go check out her blog in a couple days when she can get a race report up. I am so proud of her and everyone else who ran the marathon this weekend. Congratulations everyone!!! :)

Here are just a couple pictures from the weekend. The first is me changing my flat (look how happy I look!) and the second is after the run today right before I jumped back in the lake. Thanks so much for reading everyone!






21 comments:

Amy said...

I'm glad the new ear plugs are working! Thank goodness, huh?

I love when you post pictures of where you ride. OMG gorgeous.

Dragonfly on the Water said...

Good week on your road to the Ironman. Post those "before" and "after" photos in your bikini on your fridge. You really look trim & fit in your bike photo today. Your weekly work-outs are very inspiring, keep it up.

Susan said...

You are a busy bee! I'm glad the training is going so well!

Ewen said...

Awe, c'mon, be a sport... How about a BL-style giant "before" cardboard cutout? 10lbs is huge - no wonder if you're training 12 hours a week. Next IM you need to get laid off 3 months before the race ;)

Yes, it's usually the hissing for me - or if it's a front wheel flat on a 60kph downhill, the crash.

SavvyFitChica said...

So many things happening in one week... where do I begin?

1. That's awesome about the ears! Whew!
2. Your Wednesday sounded killer- you are amazing that you can bike, run, swim all in a day.
3. Congrats on your 1st open swim! WAHOO!
4. Way to change your first flat.

I got a flat on my way to work the other day... it just felt like I was "dragging" something, that's the only way I can explain it- no hissing noise. I looked back and saw my back tire was flat. I was close to work so I didn't change it myself but Michael made me take a class on how to do it just in case.

I doubt I'd be able to do it in 15 minutes though! And I'm sure I'd say a few cuss words instead of smiling like you!

Finally, congrats on the 10 lbs lost. You totally didn't need it but you're right, if you're going to train for this ironman, making your body leaner, thus more efficient, is smart.

okay, do I win for longest comment on a blog ever??? lol

Unknown said...

Very cool. It looks like your training is going really well. No wonder you don't have much time to blog. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Holy workouts!! Looks like you have been fitting them all in on top of working. Great job. Don't worry about commenting as long as you keep us updated. I am enjoying following your tri adventure.

Sweet job fixing the flat!

Meredith Brooks said...

Your work outs are off the charts! Those are great totals. I know you will be well prepared for Ironman. Way to go with your first flat! I don't want to jinx myself, but I haven't experienced a flat yet. I know it will come in due time - hopefully I will react as calmly as you did!

Cindy said...

congrats on the weight loss!!! you look great in your tire changing pic- a lean, mean, tri machine. man, your workouts are inspiring.

Amy - the gazelle said...

congrats on the weight loss! I totally need to check you out - I haven't seen you since you dropped that last poundage.

sounds like a good workout week. Hope to see you soon!

Sarah said...

Wowey - you are awesome! I can't stop saying it . . . I wish I was more creative, but honestly - that's all I can think of! Good job on the swimming, the tire, the weight loss! All of it!!

Gotta Run..... said...

yes you are a head of your training but in a good way it seems. your Ironman will be that much stronger for it!

Alisa said...

Great job on the weightloss. 10 lbs didn't take you very long! I need to step that up.

I'm hoping to be at spin tomorrow, we'll see how my legs are holding up by then.

I get my bike this weekend and have been scoping out all the places you talk about. (Lake Oswego is killer! Sarah, Justin and I ran there ONCE, never again!)

Petraruns said...

What a great week honey - and well done on the weight loss. I'm not surprised though with the workouts you've been doing - I'm amazed you're able to keep it all up. Tell me a secret - have you given up the sauce? I'm interested because I did so, more or less, in my last training cycle and have not really gone back on in a very big way and am just planning my next training cycle.

KK said...

Great workouts, Jen! And congrats on changing your first flat. I still ask Steve to change mine for me when I get them even though iI know how. They're just such a pain the a$$. Of course he usually forces me to do it myself but it's always worth asking...

Congrats on the weight loss too, that is so motivating. And you look fabulous in the bike picture-seriously, even in the lycra shorts-nice!

Marathon Maritza said...

WOWZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great workouts AND a 10lb loss!! You are awesome!!

OK so you HAVE to send me before and after bikini pics because I need the motivation! My diet starts tomorrow! (*hurries up and chugs wine today*) And what a great idea. I'm totally gonna take bikini pics to measure progress!

Thank you so much for the shout-out, I totally mentioned you in my race recap today! <3 I crossed the finish line and my first thought was, "Oh my god, I finally PRed...I can't wait to tell JEN!!!" No joke.

Can't wait to see you in 4 short weeks!!!

Amy said...

Oh, Hagg Lake, how I miss thee. I can totally picture your swim and run. And man it is hilly around there.

Great work over the week. I have to admit, I was happy when I got my flat too. The next three, not so much but that first one yes. :)

ShirleyPerly said...

Wow, congrats on your weight loss! But best of all, I'm glad you are feeling good about yourself. That, to me, is the most important part :-)

Great job on the fixing the flat and on that open water swim. You look fab in those fotos. Soooo pretty out there. I can't wait to be there that general area in August!

Beth said...

Wow, 10lbs lost with the amount of trianing you are doing is awesome! You are full swing with tri training now. Keep it up!

Aron said...

AWESOME week girl! you are just totally nailing them :) and WOW 10lbs!!! I didnt know you had 10 lbs to lose :) but glad you are feeling so great, it will definitely reflect in your training when you are feeling good. hope this week is also going great!

Unknown said...

per our conversation
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02well.html?em